ICT4Fisheries
{ Co-designed and fisher-driven ICTs towards transformation of small-scale fisheries governance, ‘from hook to cook‘ }
The ABALOBI initiative is an open, transdisciplinary and social learning endeavour, bringing together various stakeholders, with traditional fishers taking centre stage. ABALOBI, as a mobile app suite and programme, is aimed at social justice and poverty alleviation in the small-scale fisheries chain, transformation in the way we produce knowledge, stewardship of our marine resources, and resilience building in the face of climate change.
Many of our team members, including the small-scale fishers of South Africa, were integrally involved in the design of South Africa’s new Small-Scale Fisheries Policy, which emanated from a Constitutional Court Order and international human and fishing rights obligations. ABALOBI brings us together as an extension of our research, advocacy and policy work, and launches us into implementation and co-operative governance.
Learn more …
{ Working towards good governance and embracing a human-rights-based approach to fisheries: Through the development of an integrated small-scale fisheries information management system and mobile app suite, the ABALOBI initiative aims to enable small-scale fishing communities to be incorporated into information and resource networks: from fishery monitoring and maritime safety, to local development and market opportunities }
ABALOBI, isiXhosa for small-scale fisher, is the name given to the app suite by small-scale fisherfolk involved in the co-development process
Innovation
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Promoting stewardship
Fishers encouraged to serve as custodians and promote sustainability. Allows opportunity for integration with conservation efforts.
- Connector.
Empowerment in the value chain
Working towards community-supported fisheries and traceable slowfish. Empowerment through market information and collective action.
- Connector.
Co-operative fisheries governance
Using a common knowledge base, based on fishers’ daily data, all stakeholders at the co-management table are poised equally.
- Connector.
Ecosystems approach to fisheries
Decisions by fishers and other stakeholders can be based on ecological and social indicators.
- Connector.
Climate change adaptation
Improved safety at sea and resilience building in the face of climate change.
- Connector.
Enabling tool for policy implementation
Small-Scale Fisheries Policy (South Africa) and UN-FAO Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (International)
{ What started as a participatory action research project with a strong community development interface, has evolved into a social enterprise that is now being registered as a Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) and public benefit entity to better serve its fisher-driven mission }
Transdisciplinary research
Stakeholders work together in framing the problem and research needs, leading to the co-design of the tool based on input and tests in real-life contexts.
Co-design and fisher-driven process
Ensures data ownership and trust. Practical development and implementation within a bottom-up, participatory framework. Focus on product, process and enabling policy.
Open source & free for small-scale fishers
Leveraging the latest tech and open source platforms. Sharing innovations globally.
Recognition of fishers’ knowledge
Bridging local knowledge with science and policy. Developing knowledge for co-management.
ICT4D for small-scale fisheries: The ABALOBI initiative is about catalysing real transformation, of knowledge generation, of people, and of resource governance
Apps
The ABALOBI app suite comprises five inter-connected apps – conceptualised in a co-design process and currently in various stages of development and testing. The five apps cover the full spectrum of stakeholders in the small-scale fisheries sector from hook to cook, governance and beyond. Learn more …
ABALOBI FISHER
The foundation of the app suite where fishers co–produce knowledge. Personal logbook with sharing options. Safety-at-sea integrations. More ...
ABALOBI MONITOR
Digitised community catch monitoring at the landing site & along the shoreline. More ...
ABALOBI MANAGER
Real-time fishery data & communications for co-management. More ...
ABALOBI CO-OP
Co-operative member & fleet management. Collective & transparent accounting. Catch value-adding. More ...
ABALOBI MARKETPLACE
Fish with an ecological & social ‘story‘. Towards community-supported fisheries. Empowerment in the value chain. More ...
International reach
Beyond South Africa: An open source approach to the development of the ABALOBI platform seeks to allow customisation and use by small-scale fisheries stakeholders worldwide, aligned with the implementation of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation’s (FAO’s) Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries.
Aligned with the United Nations SDGs
Founding partners
Funders
Get involved
We are seeking to expand our partnerships and procure additional funding for the continued development of ABALOBI. We welcome expressions of interest from prospective funders and research, technology & implementation partners ...
Videos
In the news
Posts
We're in Bali, Indonesia, this week to contribute to the Think Tank: "Moving Towards Legal, Regulated and Reported Status for Small Scale Fisheries" – seeking solutions and tools to encourage #traceability, #transparency and #markettransformation in #smallscalefisheries. We'll be discussing the potential of #ICT4fisheries initiatives such as ABALOBI in this regard. The Think Tank, bringing together 25 experts from across the globe, is hosted by the MDPI Foundation (Masyarakat Dan Perikanan Indonesia) in partnership with Wageningen University & Research, USAID Oceans and Fisheries Partnership (SEAFDEC) and the Walton Family Foundation. Our gratitude to these organisations for the opportunity - we look forward to the discussions!
mdpi.or.id/think-tank-the-discussion-related-to-small-scale-fisheries-and-moving-them-toward-bein...
mdpi.or.id
MDPI, along with our collaborating partners Wageningen University & Research, the Asia Pacific based...
In case you missed it, watch tonight's 50|50 Community episode featuring ABALOBI here...
If you missed tonight's episode or you'd like to view it again then this is for you!With lots of l...
ABALOBI features on 50|50 Community tonight - tune in to SABC2youbelong tonight at 19h00
Coming up on 50|50 this coming Sunday at 7PM...SABC2youbelong ABALOBI
ABALOBI will be featured on 50|50 Community on SABC2youbelong this Sunday at 19h00 ...
– Serge Raemaekers, Nico Waldeck, Abongile Ngqongwa, Stuart du Plessis, Jackie Sunde
Coming up on 50|50 this coming Sunday at 7PM...SABC2youbelong ABALOBI
Co-design of catch data visualisations with small-scale fishers || How do fishers interpret and best interact with their data? How can data (and data visualisation) help fishers make decisions relating to their fishing activities?
Using the ABALOBI FISHER logbook app, small-scale fishers record a range of data: weather and sea conditions, catch specifics (including logging trips that yield no catch), costs associated with fishing activities, and any income generated from trading catch. ABALOBI ANALYTICS dashboards allow fishers to access and share data overviews. Such visualisation can reveal data trends and address key questions such as: Change in the distribution of species caught over time (Which species are targeted at different times of the year?); Income generated versus expenses incurred (To what degree is the fisher operating at a loss or a profit?); Distribution of costs incurred within a specific time period; and Distribution of income generated per species (What are the most stable and sustainable revenue-generating species?).
These dashboards need careful co-design and iteration to suit the context and needs of the fishers and other stakeholders – and this has been our recent focus in collaboration with the University of Cape Town Centre for #ICT4D.
The aim of data visualisation is to provide fishers with actionable information to best plan future fishing activities, for improved financial management of daily operations, and mitigation measures to address declining resource trends and sustainability concerns. Visualisation can equip fishers to make informed decisions based on historical data, encourage discussion among community members and facilitate evidence-based discussions with government institutions relating to policy making.
In the same co-design process, we are engineering data visualisation for monitors, managers, local fisher assistants, fisher co-operatives and market members in the different components of the ABALOBI app suite. One of our main objectives is to engage with social and ecological indicators, at all levels, towards transparency and traceability in the sector.